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Overview

This epic battle of good versus evil set in charming, once-peaceful Narnia faithfully adapts C.S. Lewis's timeless novel and shares its powerful story with remarkable performances and dazzling special effects.

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Editorial Reviews

There is a magical Oz-like moment near the beginning of The Chronicles of Narnia when Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley), the youngest of four siblings evacuated from war-torn London to a house in the country, enters a wardrobe during a game of hide-and-seek and exits out the back into a winter wonderland. According to "The Children's Magical Journey," just one of the items that comprise the ten hours of bonus features on this two-disc edition, this effect was delightfully achieved by blindfolding the actress until the cameras rolled, so that she got her first glimpse of the Narnia backwoods at the same time her character did. Actually, "wonderland" might be overstating things. There are enchanted fauns and accommodating talking beavers (wittily voiced by Ray Winstone and Dawn French), as well as the noble lion Aslan (regally voiced by Liam Neeson). But there are also menacing wolves, an army of hideous creatures, and the very evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton in a performance that is the stuff of nightmares). The White Witch dominates Narnia and intends to use Lucy's sullen brother Edmund (Skandar Keynes) in a plot against Aslan, who stands in the way of her absolute rule. The Pevensie children, including eldest brother Peter (William Moseley) and older sister Susan (Anna Popplewell), are a believable quartet, which is essential given the fantasy trappings that surround them. The four must learn to stop bickering long enough fulfill the heroic destiny put upon them by Narnia's talking critters. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Makeup, Narnia is more family friendly than the Lord of the Rings films, and the players in its good-vs.-evil battle are more clearly defined. Still, with intense battle scenes, menacing encounters with the witch and her minions, and the seemingly fatal injuries suffered by major characters, it seems that the film pushes its PG rating to the limits.

Barnes & Noble - Donald Liebenson

This noble adaptation of C.S. Lewis' classic novel is both graceful and fun, employing many of the epic themes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy with a simpler, more child-friendly story. The studio may have shot itself in the foot when it went on a PR trip, extolling the Christian symbolism of the film's script in order to avoid a fundamentalist backlash against all subject matter dealing with magic. Without being forced to bear this apparent intention of the author in mind, the audience is in no way obligated to interpret the events of the film this directly. There is obvious spiritual and perhaps even moral subtext, but this is not a heavy-handed movie and the ultimate meaning is left up to the viewer. What is undeniable about the film is the fantastic depth of its young characters, sometimes surpassing Lord of the Rings in this regard, as Narnia doesn't require the intense mythological and historical backstory of Middle-earth, thus freeing up screen time for character development. Each of the film's young actors give performances that are real and organic, never relying on cuteness or sappiness for audience approval. This goes doubly for eight-year-old Georgie Henley, whose charm, talent, and ease could K.O. Dakota Fanning in a single round. Tilda Swinton surpasses already high expectations, playing the part of the evil White Witch with fascist sensibilities, narcissistic greed, and glam-rock style, so that both children and adults alike are likely to feel a combination of fear and hatred every time she enters a scene. A film adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia seemed like a natural step after the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, since Hollywood loves to capitalize on a successful trend -- not to mention the fact that both works of literature were written around the same period of time, and that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were known to have been friends. The overall tone of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, however, is more suitable to younger viewers than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, containing far less violence and less generally dark material. The plot itself is also less complex, and the timeline is far simpler, but these changes do less to make the film unsuitable to adults and more to simply invite children to join its viewership.

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